Cry
by That Aerin
Summary: Lily thinks James is an arrogant, conceited, overbearing, and overall prat. Will her opinion of James ever change? Or will it take a miracle? Or a tragedy? (Ch.5)
1. Dark Gray Sky

**Cry** by Aerin 

Disclaimer: I assure you, JK Rowling did not write this. 

Thanks to my wonderful beta shellebelle! 

____________ 

James was asleep. Or rather, he was, before something big and wet hit him in the face. "Mrmh," he mumbled. 

"Get up, son," his father's voice whispered in his ear. James turned over. Sirius was still snoring away loudly in the bed over to his left. He blinked at his father, then pulled the blanket over his head. 

Alexander Potter dragged the blanket off. James glanced at the clock, and then hid his head under the pillow. "It's bloody six in the morning," James mumbled. Gah. He was already awake. 

"James, it's important." 

The tone in his father's voice made him sit up and reach for his glasses, knocking several textbooks to the floor. Sirius made a shrill gagging noise and turned over, still asleep. "What's going on? Does this have anything to do with You—" 

His father's hand muffled James' mouth. The other hand picked up James' glasses and settled them on his nose. "Get dressed. Bring your wand. And the Invisibility cloak." 

James was still curious. What? Why? he attempted to say, but something that sounded like "Mghtmwhy.." tumbled out of his mouth. 

"I'll explain later." His father looked him in the eye squarely. 

_____________________

The two Potters were huddled under the cloak in the greasy pub at Knockturn Alley. James' stomach was churning; he hadn't had breakfast, and now it was close to lunchtime. The sky was a forbidding gray; unusual summer weather. The noise of drinks being ordered and patrons muttering to each other filled the small tavern. Most of them were wearing long black cloaks and kept their faces covered, despite the heat. 

James shuddered a bit, and his father smiled at him underneath the shadow of invisibility. There was so much noise around them they could carry on a conversation without being noticed. "All right, James?" his father asked. 

James nodded. "What's this about anyway?" 

His father sighed and rubbed his temples. "There was another attack last week. The Prewetts." 

James winced. Richard Prewett was a Gryffindor Chaser that he had known very well. "All of them? The entire family?" 

Alexander Potter nodded grimly. "I'm sorry, son. My partner went down as well. The Auror Division isn't doing too well nowadays. Too many things to do, to keep track of. Too many anti-Muggle activities are springing up. Dangerous. We need as many good Aurors as we can get." 

"So what are we doing here?" 

His father's tone was serious. "I had an anonymous tip that some of You-Know-Who's followers were meeting here." 

James could feel his stomach tighten. "What are we going to do?" 

"See if they show up, and try to catch them in the act. If we can, we'll knock them out and bring them to headquarters." 

"I mean—what do you want _me _to do?" 

Alexander Potter looked James in the eye. "James—have you ever heard of the Order of the Phoenix?" 

__________________________

Petunia gave Lily a harsh look. "You'll be right here, right?" 

Lily rolled her eyes. "Yes, Pet. At two o'clock. Here." 

Petunia muttered something about weirdoes and their places. "You better be standing here, and not pop out of nowhere like last time. How do you think that makes me feel?" 

Lily glanced at the Leaky Cauldron, where Petunia was eyeing the space between the bookstore and record shop suspiciously. "Well, I didn't know that I would 'pop out', okay?" 

Petunia gave her a glare and stepped on the gas, leaving Lily standing outside the Leaky Cauldron. 

"Thank you_ so _much for your help," Lily muttered, walking in. 

She tapped the brick into Diagon Alley and smiled as the gateway appeared before her. She never tired of seeing the magical street and the shops. Lily made her way to Flourish and Blotts, said hello to several students who were from Hogwarts and doing their school shopping as well. 

The sky was a very peculiar color for late summer, and soon Lily had her bags filled with new schoolbooks and supplies. She checked the parchment over. "Now, let's see…I have everything except…" 

A sudden gust of wind blew the parchment out of her fingers, along with several new quills and rolls of parchment. Lily cursed, dipped her hand into her pocket, quickly decided she didn't have enough to buy replacements, and ran off after the quickly escaping supplies. 

She raced down Diagon Alley, narrowly missing Peter Pettigrew. "Sorry, Peter!" she called back, her bags thumping against her legs. Lily grabbed a stray quill and a roll of parchment. The wind was picking up, however, and the list and several more quills were still flying away. 

Lily cursed some more as she ran down an alleyway, gasping for breath as she picked up the last roll of parchment. The list fluttered down another turn. "This better not be a bloody joke," Lily muttered. She had attended Hogwarts long enough with Potter's infamous gang to expect sudden pranks. 

The alley was dark, and silent. Lily was very much alone, and she slowed her step as the list stopped at a cobblestone. 

"Is—anyone—here?" Lily asked cautiously. 

A footstep rang behind her. Lily whipped around, her auburn hair flying. She barely caught a glimpse of a shadow. "Potter?" she asked angrily, but it didn't hide the panic that was coursing through her veins. "Black? Is this your idea of a joke?" 

No answer. The alley was very dark, and the shadows seemed to be everywhere. Lily spun around. Another shadow crawled out of sight. 

Lily could feel her hands shaking and willed them to stop. "Potter! You can come out now! This isn't funny!" 

Lily whirled around. The shadows looked like they were closing in. 

"Who's there?" she asked, drawing her wand. 

The silence was deafening. The only sound she could hear was her rapid heartbeat. Quickly, she grabbed the list, and ran around the corner. It led down another dark alleyway, and another, and another… 

The dank buildings and the smell of fear closed in upon Lily. Shadows flittered in the dark corners, and the cheerful, bustling streets where she had been shopping had long disappeared. 

Lily was very sure she was no longer in Diagon Alley. 


	2. Late Afternoon

**Part Two: Late Afternoon**

The alleyway turned and widened. Lily slowed down and halted her step, clutching her parcels tightly. Cobbled stones clattered softly underneath her shoes as she walked slowly.

A dingy old street sign told her this was Knockturn Alley; Lily gave an involuntary shudder at some of the gruesome shop fronts. She passed by a display of shrunken heads in one shop that just screamed "DARK ARTS!" The only people around seemed to watch her distrustfully, they were all shabby-looking, dressed in robes or cloaks that concealed their faces regardless of the summer heat.

Suddenly Lily was very aware of her faded blue jeans and T-shirt. The fierce stares she was receiving did not ease her nerves at all.

___________________________

James looked at his watch; his stomach growled loudly. "We've been here for hours, Dad. Can we get something to eat?"

His father gave him an amused look. "Well, let's give it another half hour." He glanced the pub again.

"Dad, everyone is wearing long black cloaks. Any one of them could be Death Eaters." James groaned, patting his empty stomach. 

"After years of being an Auror, son, you'll know when you see a Death Eater. It's the way they talk, the way they move. You can smell it."

James could smell some of the food they were serving at the pub. His daydream of a large sandwich was interrupted by a poke.

"There. Right over there. Those two by the door."

James glanced over at the two men; one was taller, and they were carrying a whispered conversation.

"Here. Put this on." His father handed him a large black cloak with a hood. James looked at it with an expression of distaste. It looked like the type of thing Snape always wore. "Put it on!" his father urged, donning a similar cloak.

James frowned and pulled it over his head, while trying to keep the Invisibility Cloak in place. His father with the hood pulled over his head was barely recognizable. "Okay, son. Give me the Invisibility Cloak."

James handed it over as his father placed it inside his robes. None of the other patrons seemed to notice the pair in the corner suddenly appear. 

Alexander Potter fingered a clumsily mended tear. "What have you been doing with my old cloak, anyways?"

James grinned underneath the hood, remembering a certain incident in Potions…

"Forget I asked." His father gripped his arm tightly. "Don't speak, and if you do, do it quietly. If anyone asks, you and I are Geoffrey Wilson and his son, Arnold."

________________

Lily decided she didn't like Knockturn Alley at all. She especially didn't like the accusing glares that were being thrown her way. _Gotta get out of here_, she thought. _This place gives me the creeps._

An aged witch with an extremely grotesque wart on her face gave Lily a searching look. "Lost, dear?"

Lily was strongly reminded of the Muggle depiction of a witch; old, ugly, warty, and just plain disturbing. "Do you know how to get back to Diagon Alley?" she asked carefully.

The witch reached into her pocket and drew out an apple. "Hungry?"

Lily shook her head.

The witch bit into the apple, and the juices ran down her chin, while Lily tried her hardest to keep a disgusted look off her face. "Diagon Alley. Do you know the way?" she repeated.

The witch munched on her apple thoughtfully. "Keep going until you reach the Headless Centaur, then turn right, take a left turn at the crooked tree, turn right, and walk counter-clockwise three times at the rusted gate."

"Thanks," said Lily, and she sped off.

"No problem," the witch cackled, her voice breaking a bit. "No problem at all."

Lily was practically running down the street, eager to get back to Diagon Alley. She checked her watch—it was ten minutes to two o'clock. "You better wait for me, Pet," she muttered.

The alleyway seemed to lengthen, and none of the drab shops she passed looked like the Headless Centaur. Lily slowed down, catching her breath. How long was Knockturn alley, anyways? She narrowed her eyes, looking ahead. It didn't seem to end. 

"Headless Centaur, turn right, left at the tree, right at the gate? Or was that left at the gate? Then clockwise three times at a crooked tree…damn." Lily blearily wished that she had written the instructions down. 

She was tired, and hungry. Lily had planned to eat lunch at the Leaky Cauldron before Petunia picked her up, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. She glanced at her watch again. Four minutes past two.

How long would Petunia wait? Lily fervently hoped Pet would stay, but it wasn't likely. 

Lily glanced at the shops around her. One of them seemed to be slightly larger than the rest. She gazed through the grimy window. It looked like a restaurant of some sort. Lily fingered the remaining coins in her pocket and decided to go in. Someone inside would have to know how to get to Diagon Alley.

A grubby painted headless centaur sign clanked against the door as it shut behind her.

________________

His father led him into the center of the crowded pub, blending in with the other robed witches and wizards. They sat at a table close by to the two men at the door; close enough to hear their subdued conversation. 

James sat quietly, his stomach growling loudly. He gave his father an apologetic look that could barely be seen underneath the shadow of the hood. 

A few minutes later, a plate of steaming food was brought under James' nose. He dug in hungrily as his father paid the waiter. 

"So, _Arnold,"_ said his father, "How's school?"

James stopped chewing the mouthful of mystery meat. "Er, great, Dad." His father beckoned for him to go on while he was doing something to his wand. James couldn't tell what. "Yeah, me and my Slytherin friends are having a great time," he said loudly. "We finally got Sniv—Snape to wash his hair before term ended."

"Really," his father said interested. "So do you have a girlfriend yet?"

James swallowed. "Er. No."

"Anyone you have in mind?"

James poked the rest of the meat, suddenly forgetting about his hunger. "Yeah, there's this one girl in my year. She's amazing. She's pretty, smart, funny, and everyone likes her."

His father stopped fiddling with his wand. "Really? What does she think about you?"

James frowned. "She hates me. I've asked her out a couple million times, but she always says no. Or that she'd rather date the giant squid."

"I'm sure she doesn't _hate_ you."

"_I hate you! Don't you ever dare ask me out again, or I'll hex you!"_ James mimicked.

"She said that?"

"Something along those lines. I wouldn't fancy being on the wrong end of that hex, either. One time she fixed me and Si—_Simon_ so we couldn't talk for a day." James twiddled the fork and sighed. 

"Any clue to why she doesn't like you?"

James shrugged. "I'm a massive git, a prick, and I have an extremely large head. Hypothetically."

He could tell his father was grinning from underneath the large hood. "Perhaps you should…"

James gaped at the door.

Lily Evans had just walked in.

**Author's notes:** Thanks for the reviews! Raymond, jasmine1314, jade eyes, Nuklear Firefly, Fairy of Obsession, Shinning Crystal, snowflakey, Trinity Day, and Tadariada. 

Fairy of Obsession: The title will make sense soon. I promise.

Shinning Crystal: YAY! I was called evil! Hehe. I'm not Voldemort though. He's ugly. XD

Snowflakey: Didn't make sense? Hmm…dunno. It seemed okay. I use the word 'squarely' quite a bit though.

Trinity: I tried to do it all in one piece, but I got mind blocked, so it's going to be in little segments. 

Tad: Yup, agree with you on most of the aspects and am going to keep it in mind.

Anyways, I'm not sure how much longer this will be. A couple chapters. This is my take on how Lily's opinion of James changes before seventh year, so expect that…review, please! Purple button. Click. Yes.


	3. Places No One Will Find

**Disclaimer: **This is JK Rowlings's world. I just play in it. Whee! And it's a lot of fun. 

**Thanks** for all the wonderful reviews all of you have left me, as well as the fantastic help from the brilliant shellebelle! 

**Part Three: Places No One Will Find**

The atmosphere in the Headless Centaur immediately changed. The room seemed to grow colder, despite the flickering fire in the grate. Time seemed to freeze for a moment that lasted an eternity. There was no movement, but James could feel the unwelcome stares dart in Lily's direction. James watched as she walked in, a confused yet determined look on her face. She brushed a strand of red hair from her face, and briskly walked to the bar. 

Lily didn't seem to notice the suspicious eyes upon her as she asked the barman something. The barman didn't pause wiping the dirty glass he was holding with his ragged apron and didn't answer. Lily looked frustrated, and turned around to more stares.

The silence broke as the cloaked men to the table next to theirs began a fierce bout of whispering. James felt sorry he hadn't paid close attention to them earlier as his father had. He strained his ears and caught the words _Mudblood_ and _teach her a lesson_. James watched in horror as the taller one stood up and made his way to the bar.

The mysterious meat-like meal he had eaten earlier churned in his stomach, and James suddenly felt ill. He gripped his wand hard and gritted his teeth, anger and fear coursing through his veins. _Not Lily,_ he thought. _They can't hurt Lily. _

James tried to stand up, but his father pushed him back down.

"Dad!" he said in a frantic whisper.

"Don't make any sudden movements," his father said in an excruciatingly low voice. "Look around. None of these men will care if she gets hurt—in fact, many of them will help." His voice was painfully calm as James' heartbeat had jumped into his throat. "We are outnumbered, James."

~

Lily swallowed. This was definitely _not _a good place for directions. Or lunch, for that matter. She ignored the growling in her stomach. Or was that just fear? Lily cautiously stepped away from the bar, her mind nervously remembering Daily Prophet headlines from earlier this summer…_bodies found tortured…victims appeared to be Muggleborn…Dark Mark found in London…_ Her hand went instinctively to her pocket for her wand as she walked towards the door. 

A rough hand grabbed her wrist. "Where do you think you're going, Mudblood?" 

She spun around to face a man whose face was hidden by his cloak. "Let me go," said Lily through gritted teeth. There was a faint clatter on the ground. With her free hand she reached for her wand, but her pocket was empty. Lily's gaze flew to her wand on the floor, rolling slowly away from her. Suddenly the tumbling growl of her stomach gave way to an empty fear. Her wand was gone. She was unarmed. Lily watched it roll lazily across the floor in a stupor. Possible hexes, curses, and jinxes flew threw her mind, but it was all useless—

A different man picked it up, twirling her precious wand in his fingers. The cloaked man laughed coldly. "Thought you could magic yourself out, Mudblood?"

The man with her wand spat in her face. Lily glared at him as the disgusting juice ran down her cheek. "Don't even try," he sneered. "Filthy Muggles thinking they can do magic." He threw her wand over her, and Lily jumped frantically as it sailed through the air. The men laughed viciously as it clattered behind her. 

Lily turned around, her rapid heartbeat pounding in her ears. She lunged away, looking for escape, but another man was there, and another, they were all around her…_there _had_ to be a way out,_ thought Lily. 

They were laughing coldly now, and their eyes glinted with something inhuman. The cloaked man was the worst. She could feel a coldness radiating from him, and every time he spoke the men laughed raucously in agreement. 

They had their wands out now, and the cloaked one spoke once more, sending chills down Lily's spine. "Why don't we teach this little Mudblood not to wander into Knockturn Alley?"

Lily closed her eyes tight, listening to the sounds of her pounding heart, her rapid breath, and feeling her legs numb. _This is a nightmare, _she thought hopefully. _I will wake up in my room.  _She could smell the stench of alcohol in the air. A rancid breath verged on her face. They were disgustingly close. Lily opened one eye and a grim realization set upon her. The nightmare was real. And she would not wake up. 

  One pinched her cheek and gave her a lewd grin. "It's a pretty one too…why don't we have some fun first?"

Lily turned with repulsion at the grimy touch of his hand on her face and a frantic thought ran through her mind. _I need to get out. Now.  _She didn't want to think what would happen if she didn't. 

The beastly brutes roared agreement to the suggestion, and Lily fought arduously against the pair of monstrous hands that held her fast. Another leering man seized her with an intense grip that burned like hot iron on her arms. 

Lily screamed out in fury, startling the one behind her. She would _not_ be treated like—like—a piece of dirt. _So I don't have a wand, eh? I still have feet—_she dug her heel into his foot and smiled grimly as she heard the satisfying yelp of pain as he let go—_and nails_—she slashed viciously and blindly at the men and then saw an opening. 

_Yes_, Lily thought in relief. She lunged for the escape. _Yes!_ She was away from the stifling circle of sweaty cloaked men—her wand was on the floor—she bent down to pick it up—

A black robe stepped in front of her. Lily looked up the tall length of the robe and stared into the dark depths of the hooded man.

 _Get the wand, _Lily thought frantically, _move,_ she told her feet—why was she backing up? Unconsciously she was moving away from the wraithlike chilling presence of the cloaked man. She jumped as she walked into something solid. Lily turned to face a solid wall and slowly turned around, facing the men who had again cornered her like a hunted rabbit.

The cloaked man chuckled. Lily shuddered at his eerie voice. "Don't try to run, Mudblood. You walked straight in here. You're not leaving alive."


	4. Lasted Forever

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of Harry Potter depicted in this story are the legal property of J.K. Rowling and all those company things that made the movie. I'm not quite sure if they own James and Lily, but JKR probably does. I wonder if she would object what I am subjecting them to…anyways, I get no money, I do this for the pure pleasure of reading a spiffy review and to amuse myself and others. Whee!  

Many of the spells used are also the brainchild of the wonderful author Robin, who gladly consented to their use here. Don't forget to read Robin's Unbroken Universe.

Part Four: Lasted Forever 

_"STUPEFY!"_

A bright flash of red light shot by Lily's face, and she braced herself for the shock of being Stunned. 

It never came. 

Lily looked up just in time to see the drunken man who had been touching her face collapse instead.

She didn't waste time pondering who was helping her, she _moved_, heart still beating fast, and dived for her wand. Feeling the familiar willow wand in her hand, she whirled around and yelled "_Retardo!" _That would slow them down for a few precious seconds—

_"Everbero!" _the fiercely cold voice commanded, and seconds later something crashed into Lily's back. If someone had shoved her with the might of twenty men, that might have equaled the force that struck her. She fell down to her knees, her head spinning.

Strong arms enveloped her and tried to bring her to her feet. Oh _no_, it was another man hooded in black—he held her arm steadily as he threw back his hood—wait a second—was that James_ Potter?_

____________________________________________________

James didn't hear his father's warning cry; he could only see Lily's face, eyes wide with fear. Without thinking he pulled out his wand and forgot all pretense. _"STUPEFY!" _he roared, aiming carefully for the brute that had dared to touch her. Lily took advantage of the men's brief confusion to grab her wand and throw a hex that seemed to slow them down. The tall one looked like he had been unaffected and he roared in an icy voice that had made James' blood run cold. He didn't hear the spell; he only saw what it did to Lily, she was on the floor writhing in pain—what was his father doing, playing with mirrors, couldn't he see Lily was hurt? 

James was already there without having realized it, and his arms were around Lily in a heartbeat. He pulled her to her feet and for a moment the rest of the pub seemed to fade away. She looked up at him in horror—oh wait, he looked like a bloody Death Eater, that was it—James pulled off the hood—_why _couldn't his hands move fast enough—

The look of disgust mingled with fear suddenly was wiped off of Lily's face. Recognition and relief danced through her eyes and she smiled at him, that radiant smile of happiness. James felt his knees buckle. She had _never_ smiled for him before, and oh, it was heavenly. Lily drew him close and hugged him briefly and whispered, "Thanks." 

She smelled great. 

Whatever witty thing James had been going to say tumbled out of his brain, and whatever heroic and stunning brave sonnet he was going to recite for her completely disappeared. He was _holding_ her; that was enough. A faint but distinct aroma rose from her skin and hair, and it was wonderful. None of that cheap flowery stuff other girls used. This wasn't perfume. This was…this was…

"_JAMES!"_

His father's vehement voice broke his reverie. James looked up and realized Lily wasn't even in his arms anymore, she and his father were busy hurling curses and hexes at the men. The bar was empty save for the prevalent battle; dangerous spells shot back and forth, his father was sporting a few bruises he didn't have before. Most of the louts who had cornered Lily were on the floor, unconscious or injured. The only ones left were two men cloaked in black and one taller one; they were hurling Dark curses now.

_"JAMES!"_

James snapped back to reality and dodged the shaft of a rather violent and quick burst of light in the nick of time; it crashed into the wooden table behind him, cracking the it in two and setting it on fire. 

"_Debellum!"_ his father bellowed. James took a moment to admire his father's skill—the amplified Stunning spell took one of the cloaked men to the ground—before casting his own Stunning spell at the remaining man.

Lily cast the same spell at the very moment he did; the other man in the cloak was blasted into the wall with the combined force of two Stuns. He slid to the floor, blood running from his head.

The tall one advanced on them. There was something about him that made James back up a step—the effortless glide that propelled him forward or the resounding memory of that chilling voice froze his feet to the ground. 

"_Vexameum!" _shouted his father. "_Debellum! Rumpreis!" _

The hexes all seemed to slide off the man's dark cloak or to disappear into the black folds of the cloth. 

A pale hand slid out of the robe, holding a wand almost delicately, as if he were about to savor a fine dessert after a satisfying meal. 

"_Crucio." _

_________________________________________________________

Lily's head exploded. Every nerve in her body on fire, every fiber of her being resonated with pain, the very marrow of her bones was screaming. She was screaming too, begging for mercy, but the burning agony did not relent.  It was unbearable; the cold, wooden floor was wet with her tortured tears. Somewhere on the left she knew James was suffering too; his screams and his father's screams echoed against the walls like the unflinching screech of a nail on a chalkboard. 

Then ever so slowly the pain began to decrease in a gradual diminuendo. When Lily could open her eyes again, it was still there, but dormant as a dull ache in the center of her body. She then saw the reason; James' father had grown a sickly white, sweat beaded on tiny droplets on his forehead, and he struggled as if holding up an immense weight. A semi-translucent sphere had encased the three of them, protecting them from full wrath of the Cruciatus Curse.

Outside the shield, the tall cold man seemed to radiate anger. A flash of red light hit the shield, and it shook, seeming as if it would crack under the pressure. 

"How can we help?" asked Lily, as another blast shook the fragile bubble. 

"Very advanced magic," the elder Potter breathed laboriously. "All in the mind. Think of something strong—anything—picture adding it to the shield as energy—if you can do it—_he_ might get impatient and leave."

James closed his eyes and Lily watched him furrow his brows and concentrate.

She closed her own eyes and wondered how this was supposed to work. _Think of something strong…_Lily cast about for memories of something strong…something that would withstand this onslaught…a box? No…something better…designed to keep evil out…a house? _Come on…I have a better imagination than this!_ Lily thought, frustrated. _Hogwarts!_ It must have stood for hundreds of years since the Founders' time, protecting the students within and nurturing life. Hogwarts, with its wonderful towers and stairways and twists and turns and sturdy stone walls. She thought of the energy behind those walls, that magnificent castle's might and power and gave it to the shield. Something was happening…the dull ache in her heart from the remnants of the Cruciatus was fading away...Lily thought of the thickest walls of Hogwarts, down to the very foundations deep into the ground, and gave those sturdy foundations to the shield. She thought about her fear and anger at the tall cold man and all the brutes that thought they were better than she was—just because she was Muggle-born, and she let the shield have that too. 

Lily opened her eyes, and then felt the Dark magic the man was throwing at the shield. She _was_ the shield in her mind. The Dark ravaged against the walls of Hogwarts, but the walls would not break…they would not break…they would not break…

There was a howl of rage—and then—

A dark gray smoke was billowing about around the sphere, and everything outside appeared murky and foggy. 

They held the shield for several more minutes, but there was only silence and the smoke.

"I think it's safe," said James' father. "You can relax now."

Lily let Hogwarts go from her mind and let herself breathe for a moment. Her muscles ached and her heart was still pounding, but her head was miraculously free from pain. She looked up and met James' eyes. He smiled at her in relief. They were alive. Lily grinned back.

His eyes were a warm hazel. She wondered why she never noticed that before. Then again, she never had been standing quite so close…

His father coughed.

"Oh, yeah," said James, his cheeks turning pink. "Dad, this is Lily Evans. Lily, this is my dad." 

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Potter," said Lily, shaking his hand. "Thank you for…"

He chuckled. "Not a problem. I was in the area—scouting for followers of the Dark Lord. I guess we found them." 

"Very impressive," said Lily gratefully.

"All in the job requirement," he said. "I'm an Auror, by the way."

_No need to know where James learns all those hexes now,_ thought Lily amusedly. She quickly scolded herself. _I've got to stop doing that. _The Potters had just saved her life—the least she could do was be nice to James—even if he was a big-headed prat, he did have nice eyes.

Wait a second—

_When did I start calling him James instead of Potter? _

_And _when_ did I care about the color of bloody James—no, _Potter's_—bloody—eyes!_

It was the stress, Lily decided. It had been a very long day and she had just undergone a traumatizing experience and now she was being delusional and thought she liked James Potter. James—no, _Potter _was an idiot, and had always been an idiot.

"—top of her class, best in everything, 'cept Transfiguration, that's me, and prefect for two years, I bet you she's Head Girl—"

_What _was he talking about? Head Girl? That was impossible. 

His father smiled at her. "You sound like a very bright young lady. Quite a powerful witch too from what I've seen today." 

"Oh—um—thank you," said Lily, blushing slightly. She dipped her hand in her bag to get a look at her Hogwarts letter. This morning Lily had been in a hurry because Petunia had been rushing her and she just dropped the envelope in the bag. She hadn't  even _looked _at her letter.

Lily read it now and felt a surge of joy rush through her. He was right. "I'm Head Girl," she said, disbelieving.

James grinned. "I knew it."

"Congratulations," said the older Potter. "We should be going home soon, James. Your letter and Sirius' probably arrived this morning and your mother will be beside herself if you make Head Boy and you're not there. I called Headquarters earlier for more Aurors, so they'll be here soon." He began walking towards the other side of the pub. The smoke had all cleared by now, leaving a mess of broken tables and chairs, and several unconscious men lying about. 

"We better leave before they wake up," said Lily. 

James nodded. "My dad might take some of them to Auror Headquarters for questioning and stuff, so he'll probably Stun them again." 

Lily turned around and saw that his father was indeed Stunning the men to ensure they remained unconscious. 

"Lily, look—I haven't always—" James started to say. His eyes suddenly dilated in horror. "_Dad, he's AWAKE!" _James yelled.

Lily spun around to see the man who had hit the wall earlier slowly draw his wand. At James' sudden shout, several things happened at once.

"Where—_STUPE—"_

_"AVADA KEDAVRA!" _

A/N: I'd like to thank my wonderful beta as always, shellebelle, for helping me develop this story and make it so much better. Thank you to all my spiffy reviewers; I read every word and love all of it. Leading a double life prevents me from responding to every one of your reviews, but all of your insight is appreciated and more often than not taken into my writing. 

I am quite sure, since all of you have been complaining about cliffhangers, that you have approached this chapter with yet another groan. Don't give up quite yet! I promise there will be no more cliffhangers after this one. We're almost to the end…


	5. Ended So Soon

_A/N: Wonderful thanks to my beta-reader shellebelle, who puts up with my cliffhangers and long lapses of disappearances. The same to all of you who have reviewed and left me feedback. It's helped tremendously, thanks!_

**Part Five: Ended So Soon**

_"Fumus undique!"_ the man shouted, and within moments a large, billowing cloud of smoke engulfed James. He couldn't see anything, let alone know what had happened. His heart thudded as the thick gray smoke blew about the pub. The last thing he had heard before the smoke spell was the Killing Curse. James didn't see the green light; the smoke had obscured everything. _Well, I'm still alive…and that bloke was half-dead anyways, he _had_ to have missed…there was no way he could have gotten anybody_, James thought feverishly.

"Lily!" he called. _Dam this bloody smoke—the man—probably a Death Eater—was using it to make a getaway,_ James guessed.

"Over here, James," she called. Her voice was still. Very still.

_No. _

James walked towards the sound of her voice, his mind leaping to the possibility—no, it was absurd, it couldn't happen—

The smoke was clearing slowly and soon James could see a bit clearer. He was right about the man making a getaway—there was no trace of him at the wall, as far as James could see.

"James."

Lily's voice was strange; it was as if it was breaking but she was trying to hold it together, somehow. It gave James the chills, as if she was about to say something he didn't want to hear. James turned around carefully, meeting her eyes. Tears were running silently down her face, and she looked glassily at him. James froze. There was something horridly wrong. And he had a pretty good idea of what it was, and he didn't want to know.

James looked at Lily. The light reflected on her tears, and he didn't want to know why she was crying, because in his heart, he knew already…

"James," she said again.

_No, no, no,_ James said to himself. It wasn't going to happen, because he said it wasn't happening. Nothing was happening…

"James," sobbed Lily. "Your father is dead."

* * *

Kingsley Shacklebolt ran a finger through his large Afro as he ran down Knockturn Alley. _Not the best place to get out alive…their territory, not ours…_he mused.

The rookie Auror shook his head, wondering how he got himself into this mess. The Order was fine and dandy when you were still training with the Ministry and just keeping your ears open for an interesting tidbit for Dumbledore. But when they were low on people…Kingsley shook his head. He had barely passed his Auror exams last week, and now Dumbledore was sending him off on rescue missions. Apparently he had received an urgent message by mirror from Alexander Potter and needed someone to be at the Headless Centaur pronto.

Kingsley found the greasy little pub all right and it seemed eerily empty from the outside. He drew his wand and flung open the door, expecting a full-on battle with Potter in the center of it, and upon seeing Kingsley, the senior Order member would bark out orders, relieved.

What he didn't expect was a red-haired girl in Muggle clothes sobbing over Potter's still form on the floor, unconscious drunks lying around the pub, broken furniture, and Potter's young son holding a man at wandpoint.

"TELL ME!" the boy roared.

Kingsley took a moment to breathe, wondering what his training had to say for this. _Take stock of the situation and do what you can…_

"James, is it?" he asked in what he hoped was a commanding tone. Kingsley could pull that off easily, given his size and rather formidable stare.

James turned around and glared at him, rage coloring his face. He twisted his head back to glare at the man and thrust his wand at him threateningly.

"Doan know nothin'," the drunk whimpered, looking uneasily between James and Kingsley. "Doan hurt me…"

"Shut up," James spat. He slammed his fist into the man's stomach, and he slid to the floor, groaning in pain. James swiveled around, breathing heavily and fixating bloodshot eyes on Kingsley.

The stare caught Kingsley off guard for a moment before he blurted, "I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt. I work with your father. Can…can you tell me what happened?"

James kicked a table and it fell to the floor with a thud, the dishes and crockery shattering into pieces. "He's dead, that's what happened!" The outraged teenage boy flung around to slam his fist into the wall.

"Stop it, James, you're scaring me," said the girl behind Kingsley. He turned around and watched her wipe tears off of her face. Kingsley walked over to Potter's body and knelt down. A blank stare greeted him, an expression of shock frozen permanently on his face.

Kingsley knelt down, staring at the man he had respected. "How?" he muttered. Alexander Potter had always kept a cool head on his shoulders…brave, calm, collected…one of the best.

"They tried to save me," said the girl, looking down at her feet.

Kingsley blinked at her.

"I'm Muggle-born…I was doing my Hogwarts shopping and I got lost…and..and..I came in here and the men were _awful_ and the Potters came and fought them off, but there were two who were wearing masks and black robes and they did Dark magic and one cast the Killing Curse before they left."

Kingsley shook his head and he looked at the girl. So young to have seen so much. He himself had been sick one time in Order Headquarters when they had returned after a battle. "I didn't catch your name," he said.

"Lily Evans," she said.

"I'm sorry, Miss Evans," Kingsley said, and he meant it. "Mister Potter was a good man." Kingsley got up and dusted himself off. The whole day was shot. He'd have to bring the body back up to Headquarters, report to Dumbledore, tell Mrs. Potter…yes, the whole day was shot. And no captured Death Eaters either.

Kingsley frowned. There were days when he just hated his job.

_A/N: This isn't the end_ quite _ just yet. I still have one or two more chapters to go, so don't give up on me! Thanks for reading and leave me some feedback, otherwise the ugly troll will probably eat you and make me write another cliffhanger._


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